I Was That Boy
by SuperHypnotic
Summary: The year is 1918. Seventeen year old Edward Cullen is excited for his birthday so he can finally join the war, that is, until Isabella Swan crosses his path. Intrigued and fascinated by the quiet brunette, he quickly learns she is everything he desires, but Bella's dark past threatens to tear them apart. Can this doomed couple fight against the odds, or will fate claim them both?
1. Preface

**Preface**

* * *

Edward Cullen glanced over at his mother's body, lying limp on the overused hospital bed. The entire room was filled with the smell of decay, pressing down on them like a weight.

Looking around at the other patients, he considered himself lucky. Men and women of all ages coughed around him, bleeding from their mouths, noses, and ears. The young woman beside him, most likely in her early thirties, had turned an icy blue color. As an infant cried somewhere in the distance, a man vomited, and the vicious cycle started all over again. Cough. Bleed. Vomit. Until you were cold and blue.

But to his surprise, he saw her standing in the doorway with a look of pure horror. For one moment, his heart swelled, before his chest ached and he released a vicious, throaty cough.

The young woman ran to his side, clutching his hand.

"Isabella," he said her name through the pain. His skin tingled where it touched hers. "You should not be here. You–"

"Edward," she emphasized his name with a scowl, "You of all people should know better than to call me by my proper name."

The seventeen year old sighed, taking in his lover's face. She was always so beautiful, so stubborn, but she was too hopeful. He knew he wouldn't make it out of this plague; would never be with her as he'd hoped. He took in a deep breath, ignoring the ache. "Please, my love. Go."

Edward brought a weak hand to her face, trying hard to mesmerize every curve and angle. Bella's eyes watered and she clutched his sweaty palm. "No." Her words were firm beneath the trembling lip. "You're not going to die," Bella sobbed. "You can't give up now."

She was right, of course. She always was. If Edward wasn't willing to give her up after everything they'd been through, he sure as hell wasn't going to in death.

"Bella." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you, Isabella Swan, for all eternity. You are the only one to ever touch my heart." He swallowed and licked his dry lips, working against his slowing thoughts. "But I would never forgive myself if you were to die because of this illness."

She looked taken aback by his words, as if he were mad to say such a thing. "I don't care! Edward, I-I love you! I don't have a life without you. I don't want–"

He did his best to console her shaking form. Without a moment's hesitation, Bella climbed up on his bed and placed a desperate kiss on his lips. Too soon they parted and too soon a doctor began to pull her out of his arms.

Edward watched as his love reached for him against the man's hold. "Look after my heart," he murmured through a weak smile. "I've left it with you."

He heard Bella scream his name just before his eyes closed.


	2. The Mysterious Woman

_"If I had found you, there isn't a doubt in my mind how I would have proceeded. I was that boy, who would have — as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for — gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word didn't have quite the same connotations." -Edward Cullen, Eclipse, Chapter 12, p.277_

* * *

Chapter One_  
_

The Mysterious Woman

It wasn't everyday Edward found himself chasing after some girl on the street.

It wasn't any day, actually. The seventeen year old boy was too focused on his future to care about trivial things like women and romance, as much as his mother begged him to. All throughout childhood he had exceeded in his classes and turned out to be a gifted pianist, but even with these wonderful opportunities it was Edward's desire to join the army the moment he turned eighteen. Only months stood in his way now.

But today he walked through the crowded streets of Chicago with a new agenda; to find the young woman from last week. She was out alone, being harassed by some drunken men. Edward stepped in to save her. He hadn't thought much of it at the time. It was simply a moral he followed, but when he turned to the mysterious lady, he was shocked to see her glaring at him.

Edward sighed, picturing those vivid brown eyes in his mind. They were full of such depth and emotion, showing so many questions he wanted to figure out. She had disappeared the moment he turned his head toward the beaten bodies.

She was his puzzle now. Something he was intent on finding out. Randomly running into her on the busy sidewalk seemed far fetched, even he had to admit, but he had no other leads. Why would she be so frustrated over him saving her? Had he done something wrong? Did she not want to be saved?

That was crazy and he knew it. What woman didn't want to be rescued from trouble?

"Edward," a kindly voice said when he walked through the door. The bitter winter chill bit at his face and ears, turning them pink. "It's so cold," his mother drawled, crossing her arms. "You know better than to underestimate these changing seasons, Edward. We've been nicked as 'the windy city.'"

"Where did you hear that?" He asked with a charming smile. His mother was always worrying over him, but he knew that was because he wanted to go off to war. She had never approved of that dream, but she didn't forbid it either.

"Charles Dana, that editor from _The Sun _paper. Why, after all these years its finally caught on."

He glanced at today's paper, lying flat against the wooden dining table.

_The Daily Chicago Tribune_

_The World's Greatest Newspaper  
_

_TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1918  
_

_Two men found beaten on Fifth Avenue  
_

_Thomas Wells, age thirty two and his friend, Michael Tank, age twenty nine were found lying at the intersection of fifth avenue. They had suffered a number of beatings, but were otherwise unharmed. Wells reports they were attacked by, "a man with wild green eyes." The rest of their night was said to be quiet.  
_

Wild green eyes? Edward mused, raising an eyebrow. The men had obviously forgotten the part where they tried to assault a young woman along the roadway. He should have left them with more than a black eye. Frowning, he put the paper back down on the table._  
_

"Where's Father?" He asked to mask his sudden irritation.

"At work, of course. Speaking of, shouldn't you be studying?" Her voice was laced with disapproval, but Edward's mother never could seem to conjure a good scowl at her son. "Harvard is a hard school to get in."

So she was still in denial, huh. He chuckled darkly. "It'll be fine, Mother." He kissed her cheek softly, neither accepting nor denying her request. "I'll be out for a while longer."

"Be home by six, then. I'd really like to eat as a family again." Her green eyes twinkled at the thought, the same eyes that stared back at her from across the empty room.

"I will," Edward answered, wrapping a scarf around his neck to please his distressed mother, and walked back out the door.

* * *

I'm sort of grounded at the moment, so I may not be able to update soon. Just note this chapter may be extended, so please keep checking in for any changes. Thank you

_SuperHypnotic_


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